Post
by BassTrombonium » Mon Nov 15, 2021 10:27 pm
Might as well chime in on here as a Berkeley music major, possible future band director, and member of a new generation of SoCal parade band nerds. Here's my very subjective list:
Grading criteria:
1. Does this march *work*? (How the different melodies interact with each other/cohesiveness/does it sound good?)
2. Does it get me marking time or toe tapping?
3. Difficulty (not too easy, not unnecessarily hard)
Honorable mentions(there's a LOT): Who's Who in Navy Blue, Chimes of Liberty, Invercargill (Lithgow), Washington Grays (Grafulla), Glorious Victory, Invictus, Centennial Celebration, Quality Plus, In Storm and Sunshine, The Southerner, Queen City (Boorn), Riders for the flag, Daughters of Texas, The Beau Ideal, The Fairest of the Fair
25. Pathfinder of Panama (Sousa)
24. The Trombone King (King)
23. Emblem of Unity (Richards)
22. Army of the Nile (Alford)
21. Farewell to a Slavic Woman (Agapkin)
20. Voice of the Guns (Alford)
19. The Purple Carnival (Alford)
18. Marshe Minor (Hausey)
17. Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Sousa)
16. March of the Women Marines (Saverino)
15. The Purple Pageant (King)
14. Americans We (Filmore)
13. The Cossack (Rimmer)- Perfect trio to outgoing strain transition! Makes me smile every time!
12. Roll away bet! (J. Ord-Hume)
11. Joyce's 71st NY Regiment (Boyer)
10. Hands across the sea (Sousa)
9. Boys of the Old Brigade (Chambers)
8. Bravura (Duble)- Such an underappreciated march if played well. i.e. Rancho Bernardo 2012
7. Oldham Rifle Brigade (Anderson)
6. The Coldstream Colonel (Scott)- Would LOVE to see a SoCal band tackle this piece!
5. Solid Men to the Front (Sousa)
4. Shrewsbury Fair (Neville)
3. The Loyal Legion (Sousa)- Edited version as played by Diamond Bar and Rancho Bernardo.
2. The Royal Welch Fusiliers (Sousa)- Quite honestly a Sousa masterpiece
1. Marshal Zhukov (Aleksandra Pakhmutova)- Would pay good money to watch a SoCal powerhouse play this! Everything about this march is perfect. The "oomph" of the low brass and the brilliance of the trumpets along with just the right amount of everything else always seems to put a grin on my face. The soviets really did know how to compose a good march!
Diamond Ranch Panther Brigade
PCC TofR 2020, BOA TofR 2022
Pacific Crest, Blue Knights, Carolina Crown
UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra